Thursday, January 29, 2009

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Interesting statistics about Britain. It is true that what is needed is more private enterpreneurship, not just complaining about the oversized role of the state. But the ability of a people to work and produce is affected very much by politics and culture, and clearly at some point something must have gone wrong.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

But, seriously, the most worrisome thing in the current crisis is that the politicians often seem not to be under pressure from a competent intellectual class. Politicians can be changed at the next election, but if the technocrats turn out to be incompetent what do you do? Wait until somebody reforms the graduate schools?

Friday, January 23, 2009

Thursday, January 22, 2009

What Spengler neglects to say is that Obama's themes (inclusion without identity, pragmatism as a value, hope without reason, emotion without experience and so on) are deeply reflective of contemporary culture. The way he embodies our softly-nihilistic age is so remarkable it makes you think of that famous letter by Hegel after he saw Napoleon on his horse.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

One wishes he had something intelligent to say about Obama, but the truth is that so far Obama is all about...Obama. And the desire of millions of people to feel good about themselves by contemplating their own wonderful selves reflected in Obama, the mirror-man.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Somebody said that the last Marxist in the world will be a Jesuit, like the editors of America who simply cannot believe, deep down, that somebody could have cultural, non-economic motives. The Catholic contribution, of course, consists in having an unshakeable faith in moralistic platitudes like

"sustainable development, renegotiation of lopsided trade agreements, a rethinking of the economics of globalization and an end to military and political unilateralism on the part of the United States."

That will certainly eliminate poverty! And thus terrorism! Why didn't we think of it before? It's easy!!